My journey through my ECS 100 field placements
Here are a few highlights from my experience in the field.
WEEK ONE:
My first field placement was amazing, I left the classroom feeling very confident and excited to go back. However, before going to the placement I had so many emotions going through my head, I was very nervous but also very excited. I was thrilled to find out that I was placed in a grade four classroom as this is one of the grades that I am interested in one-day teaching.
There was such good energy when all the students came into the classroom, it made me that much more excited because who doesn’t love being around children who are energetic and happy, I know I do! The teacher had her grade four class introduce themselves to me and I did the same for them. Miss Brenner, I think I could get used to hearing that!
WEEK TWO:
Without a doubt, MacNeill school is nothing short of a community. The teachers, students, parents, administrators, educational assistants, and even caretakers are all that make this school a community. Every time I have entered this school, everyone has been so welcoming and kind towards me. Whether it be the office administrator, teacher or student, I am always being welcomed into the school with a “good morning” or even a simple hello. You can tell that there is an unbreakable bond of friendship, kindness, and compassion between everyone within this school.
I went online to see the school’s website. There was a section that was on the school’s shared values and they include: I belong; I want to know; I am responsible and I respect. Each one of these values is what helps create a link between the school and the community. These values help to remind students that they belong and that they have the right to be educated no matter the circumstances. While in the class, all the students demonstrated respect and responsibility. All the students have the responsibility to learn and respect themselves and others. They demonstrate this by coming to school, being open to learning and engaging with their peers and teachers.
WEEK FOUR:
Mrs. O and I had done a little activity with the class on what they believe Truth and Reconciliation mean to them and it was very neat to see the whole come together to agree on the same answer. This showed to me that they were able to put away whatever differences they had to come up with the same opinions on the question.
WEEK SIX:
To answer the question how are the students learning and do they see the relevance in what they are learning? The answer to this is that all the students were able to make connections from what they are discussing with things from out of the classroom. I think this is a very good example of when children are empowered to take control of their own learning, they become more engaged and willing to participate.